First Eagle Investment Management LLC Purchases 1,904,598 Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. $IFF

First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) by 27.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,831,668 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 1,904,598 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s holdings in International Flavors & Fragrances were worth $595,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of IFF. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 26,315 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,042,000 after buying an additional 1,335 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,976 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 71.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,454 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $811,000 after buying an additional 4,358 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of International Flavors & Fragrances by 25.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,527 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $584,000 after buying an additional 1,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in International Flavors & Fragrances by 55.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 587 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at International Flavors & Fragrances

In other news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 142,000 shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $70.13 per share, with a total value of $9,958,460.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 2,422,730 shares in the company, valued at $169,906,054.90. This trade represents a 6.23% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on IFF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $97.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of International Flavors & Fragrances from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Flavors & Fragrances has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.80.

International Flavors & Fragrances Trading Down 2.8%

Shares of International Flavors & Fragrances stock opened at $78.74 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.10 billion, a PE ratio of 24.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.69 and its 200 day moving average is $70.59. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. has a 1 year low of $59.14 and a 1 year high of $84.45.

International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.17. International Flavors & Fragrances had a net margin of 7.78% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.20 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. will post 4.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Flavors & Fragrances Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 18th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 18th. International Flavors & Fragrances’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.93%.

International Flavors & Fragrances Profile

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (NYSE:IFF) is a global leader in the creation and production of flavors, fragrances, cosmetic actives and nutritional lipids. The company develops taste and scent solutions for a wide array of end markets including food and beverage, personal care, household goods and pharmaceutical products. Its portfolio spans natural and nature-identical flavors, fine fragrances, functional ingredients for skin and hair care, and specialty oils that enhance nutritional value and sensory appeal.

IFF’s research and development network comprises innovation centers in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, where multidisciplinary teams collaborate on aroma chemistry, sensory science and biotechnology.